WASHINGTON — In a policy switch that could be important to thousands of applicants seeking low-down-payment home mortgages, the Federal Housing Administration has rescinded tough new credit restrictions that had been scheduled to take effect Sunday.

The policy change would have affected borrowers who have one or more collections or disputed-bill accounts on their national credit bureau files in which the aggregate amounts were $1,000 or more. Some mortgage industry experts estimate that if the now-rescinded rules had gone into effect, as many as 1 in 3 FHA loan applicants would have had difficulty being approved.

Under the withdrawn plan, borrowers with collections or disputed unpaid bills would have been required to "resolve" them before their loan could be closed, either by paying them off in full or by arranging a schedule of repayments. In effect, if you couldn't resolve the outstanding credit issue, you might not be able to obtain FHA financing.